<p>I noticed that most of the posts in this thread are from a parent’s perspective, so I thought it might be helpful if I gave that of a students.</p>
<p>Balancing a difficult course load and music? It’s possible, and it’s exhausting. Ultimately it depends on the student and whether they are dedicated enough to see it through. </p>
<p>Before I went to high school I wanted to be a doctor, so when I got accepted to an intense science and math high school, I decided to go there. I took nearly all of the biology classes, and gave up my lunch for two years to also take chorus. Junior year was the hardest, because I took AP Bio, History, and English tests as well as doing a science research project at a Hospital. I also practiced about an hour a day, and had lessons on weekends.
The truth is that it was incredibly hard. I was tired all the time, didn’t get much sleep, and felt like I was working all the time. Summer program auditions and the classical singer competition meant tons of planning in advance, because I had to finish schoolwork in advance so that I could sleep six hours or so in the week leading up to the audition. I got sick a lot, because between practicing and school there wasn’t much time for sleep.
I also had to make a lot of sacrifices. My circle of friends shrunk substantially, because I simply didn’t have time to keep up with all of them. I could no longer handle a sports team or church youth group, and virtually all my time was spent doing schoolwork or music.</p>
<p>However, I am completely happy with how I spent my high school years. It was a lot of work, but I learned so much and I wouldn’t give that up even for more sleep. I think that not sacrificing either my academic or my musical interests has made me a happier and more well rounded person, because I never get tired of either one. And, in the end, it worked out. I aced my AP’s, won some cool awards for both music and science, and got into my first choice college and conservatory for a double degree program. </p>
<p>If anyone wants to ask me more specific questions about balancing academic and music stuff, ask away!</p>